Little Things
by MinnieBSB
Summary: Elliot messes up big time, but labels it as a "little thing". When another "little thing" comes into his life, he turns to none other than his former partner.
1. Chapter 1

An: Hello all! I had the idea for this story shortly after I started watching the show, which isn't really that long ago compared to some of you out there. This is kind of a Liv and Elliot reunion story, but different. First off, Elliot and Kathy were married, but they never had children. Cragen is still the captain. Also, Olivia just wants a sense of closure, but Elliot wants to fix their relationship. This will only be 5 or 6 chapters long. Please let me know if you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Law and Order SVU

Exhausted didn't even begin to explain Detective Olivia Benson's level of tired. A three day case was difficult to handle when she was a rookie, but it was even harder now that she was on her 15th year. Nobody found aging to be enjoyable, but cops hated it the most. Not a single perp had thought about the inconvenience of their timing or the fact that police officers like to sleep. This guy in particular chose to rape a sixteen year old and then take her for a ride to his house. For three days. Against her will. Once Olivia and Fin found her, they rode with her to the hospital to take her statement. There was nothing else that they could do for the night, so Cragen sent them home. The clock on her microwave read 1:43 am. She unclipped her badge and put it in the drawer of her end table along with her gun. Nothing sounded better than sitting on the couch with a nice glass of wine and then heading to bed.

She had just settled down on the couch when her phone rang. How the hell could they possibly need her again?

"What?" she spat into the phone. She didn't care who was calling her. It could have been God himself on the other end and she would still be pissed that he dare disturb her peace.

"Olivia?" A familiar voice questioned.

Her heart rate increased immediately. It had been so long since she had last heard that voice.

"El?" she croaked. No, it couldn't be. She called him everyday for six months after he left and he never answered. Why the hell would he call her now?

"Look, this is an emergency. I need you to come over. I know that we need to talk but I promise we can do that later. Please Liv?"

Olivia wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself and then hang up on him. Changing her number would just be the cherry on top. If any other man had done what he did to her, she wouldn't even consider going over there. But this is Elliot… How could she leave him hanging like that? He said it was an emergency. Elliot admitted that he needed help. so it had to be important. That, and she could finally get the closure she needed. She could end that chapter of her life and finally rid herself of Elliot.

"Okay".

Much to her surprise he rattled off his new address. When did he move? She repeated the address over and over in her head while she grabbed her badge and gun. She was about to open her door to leave when she realized a few things. Number one, he lives in an apartment building. Number two, it was the apartment building that was only a few short blocks away from hers. New York City housed millions of people. Was she supposed to believe that he just happened to live down the street from her? No way in hell. Something was going on here.

She had to keep herself from running down the steps in her building and down the road. Part of her was pissed at him for abandoning her for two fucking years and then expecting her to come running over at his beck and call. How dare he. She wanted to slap him right in the face or kick him in the nuts, the decision would be spur of the moment. At the same time, she wanted to hug him and beg him to come back into her life. They could go back to their late night conversations and movie nights with Chinese food. He could be her best friend again.

No. She would never beg to have a man in her life. If he wanted to leave her life, he is more than welcomed to stay out. She was going over to help with whatever emergency he had, and then she was leaving. For good. She buzzed his apartment and jogged up the steps. She was still pretty tired.

She heard crying once she made it to his floor. There was a screaming baby. How the hell could Elliot live with this? She loved children, but she also loved sleep. The closer she got to his apartment, the louder the crying seemed to be.

His door opened as soon as she got to it. There Elliot was, holding a sobbing baby in his arms. She felt like she should say something. He looked older. He looked exhausted. He looked lost.

"Come in" he said after an awkward silence. He stepped to the side and watched as she brushed past him.

"What's the emergency?" she asked before he even shut the door.

He sighed and pointed at the baby on his hip. Olivia felt anger bubbling in her chest.

"You called me for the first time in two years because you can't get a baby to stop crying?" She was steaming. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her fists were clenched at her sides. Nothing would have been more satisfying than delivering him a knuckle sandwich.

Elliot rolled his eyes at her. "No, I called you because someone left her in front of my door...and because she won't stop crying!"

His explanation calmed her the slightest bit. She was too focused on the fussing girl. She carefully took her out of Elliot's arms and smiled when the little girl grabbed on to her shirt. Her cheeks were red and covered in tears. She quickly felt her forehead to rule out a fever. Her temperature was normal.

"Alright little lady, what's wrong huh?" she sweetly whispered as she made herself comfy on the couch. She knew that Elliot was watching the whole scene, but she didn't care.

It took twenty minutes of singing and rocking, but Olivia managed to get the baby to sleep.

"Here, take her so I can go" Olivia ordered, gently handing the baby to Elliot. He looked surprised.

"You're just going to leave? You aren't going to do anything about this? You don't want to hear what I have to say?"

She rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the couch.

"Don't you dare act like I owe you anything, Stabler. You want police help? Pick up the phone and call the station. You want me to listen to what you have to say? Should have started talking years ago. Good bye, Elliot. I just hope life doesn't fuck you over the way you fucked me". With that she stormed out of the apartment wishing she could slam the door. As mad as she was, that baby girl needed her rest.

That was it. She was done with Elliot fucking Stabler.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hello all! Thank you so much for your support so far! I wanted to update this so much sooner, but classes kind of got in the way. Thank goodness for break! This chapter really explains a lot of Liv's anger toward Elliot. Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy :) Love y'all!**

" _Oh! Yes! Fuck me, harder!" She cried as he slammed into her over, and over, and over again. She had begged him to go faster, be rougher; to fuck her with everything he had. They both needed it. She was more than happy to feel him doing just that. Shockwaves of pleasure flowed through her body, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. Her hands ran over his body, searching for something to hold on to. He was hitting all of her spots, including the ones that she hadn't even known about._

" _You feel so good" He groaned when her hips moved to meet his, thrust for thrust. It was getting too intense for both of them, but it only added to the pleasure._

" _Don't stop" She sighed into his ear. His hand slipped between them to give her clit the attention it desperately needed. She thought that she was going to die. She couldn't get enough air, and what little bit she was getting was stolen from her when he hungrily captured her lips. Any control that she had over her body was gone. Her back was arching, almost lifting her off the bed._

" _I'm gonna-" She tried to say against his lips. She gasped when his left hers and tried to breathe, but her breaths were only coming in short little pants._

" _Cum, Liv. Cum for me" He whispered before kissing her sweet spot behind her ear. She could feel his thrusting start to falter and there was nothing that could drive her crazier._

" _So hot" He growled, sending her over the edge._

 _She clung on to him like her life depended on it, trying to keep herself grounded. She bit down on his shoulder to keep her from screaming and waking the neighbors. Her teeth drew some blood, but neither of them could even pretend to care in the moment. She felt the warmth of his release in her, triggering her second earth shattering orgasm._

" _Elliot!" She screamed out in ecstasy, unable to remain quiet._

 _She sighed contentedly when he lazily kissed her a few more times. His arms wrapped around her before he gently withdrew from her and laid them down. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. She was fighting to keep her eyes open, to enjoy the afterglow, but he had worn her out. She was losing the battle against sleep very quickly. He kissed her forehead and pulled the covers up and over them._

" _That was amazing" She sleepily mumbled._

" _Best I've ever had" He agreed. "You're so beautiful, Liv"._

 _She smiled, but her eyes were closed. She was too tired._

" _Liv, get some rest" Elliot said._

 _Several minutes later, Elliot was watching the rise and fall of Olivia's chest. He was tried, but he wanted to burn the image into his memory. He kissed her once more, and she sighed, breaking his heart even more._

" _I love you, Liv"._

 _He got up and found his close that had been thrown all over the room and dressed. He looked back at her sleeping form and he knew that he was fucked._

" _I'm so sorry" He whispered. He turned and walked out of her bedroom and then out of the apartment all together, making sure to lock it._

Olivia's hands were sore. The gloves weren't really protecting them because of the amount of force behind each punch. Fin was on the opposite side of the punching bag, trying to hold it still for her, but he was struggling.

"Who the hell pissed you off?" Fin asked as he repositioned his body, hoping that she would be done soon. He had worked out with Olivia plenty of times, but he had never seen her go this hard.

"No one" She lied. Her fist collided with the bag once more, but there was something off about this one. Fin and the bad went flying back while a burning pain ran up her arm.

"Son of a bitch" She seethed. Her wrist was throbbing.

"Let me see it" Fin ordered. She twisted so that he couldn't reach it, frustrating him even more. He lunged one more time, but once again, she moved so that she was out of his reach.

"Fine, but I bet you sprained it or something. Go get it looked at". He stormed out of the room, leaving her to take care of herself, like she was used to.

Olivia shook her head; everyone was being pissy today. Captain Cragen had been short with her all morning and something just seemed off with Munch and Fin. She disregarded the thought when another pain shot up her arm. She didn't want to look at it. She didn't want to see it because she was sure that something was wrong, but she wouldn't admit it.

"Benson, my office" Cragen called from the doorway. Olivia nodded, but rolled her eyes as soon as he left.

She quickly changed back into her work attire, being careful of her wrist, and made her way into Cragen's office. She took her seat across from him and waited for him to speak.

"Olivia, I need you to promise that you will hear me out before I go any further. You can't just get up and leave if you get angry, you have to stay and listen to what I have to say, okay?"

She felt like she was sitting at the kitchen table with her mother after a late night out and she was getting in trouble. She nodded once again and tried not to wince. Her wrist was killing her, but she refused to look at it and admit she was wrong.

"I got a call this morning… It was Elliot" He started. She knew that she should have acted surprised, because her captain noticed her complete lack of response to the news that should have rocked her world.

"Yeah?" She pressed, hoping to get this over with.

"Well we have a case. A baby-"

"Was left at his door and we have to find the mother, I know". She finished for him.

"How the hell did you know that?"

Olivia stood from her seat and started to pace. She should have kept her mouth shut. Now she would have to tell her boss all about the night before.

"I um… just a hunch really".

Cragen shook his head and was about to push her a little further when he noticed something off about her wrist.

"What the hell happened to your wrist?" He asked as he got up to inspect the damage.

"Nothing" She lied once again. It seemed like the only thing she could do was lie lately.

"It's so swollen! You are going to get this checked out now. I'll have Fin drive you".

"Cap, I'm fine. I promise you that I am fine. Besides Fin isn't too happy with me at the moment".

Cragen looked at her and for a brief moment caught a glimpse at the sadness in her eyes. It didn't' used to be this way. She used to be so happy, less torn when Elliot was there.

"Liv, I know this is hard on you. I know that Elliot called you last night, and that was completely unfair of him to do that, but you and Amaro are going to work this case" Cragen explained, knowing that she would fight him tooth and nail on the matter.

"If I go get this checked out, can Munch and Fin take over the case?" She wagered.

"No. You are going to go get that checked out right now, and Fin is going to take you. Elliot will probably get here before you, so Amaro will interview him first. I'm sorry, Liv, but I think it's better if you work this case".

She shook her head at him in disbelief. Her day had gone from bad to a fucking nightmare.

"Whatever" She sighed. She wanted to fight. She wanted to scream. She wanted to explain why working Elliot's case would be a slap in the face,but she knew that there was no point. Her boss' mind was made up, and she couldn't change it.

"I'm sorry" Olivia apologized as she and Fin walked out of the hospital. He had been right. She had sprained her wrist. Thankfully, it was a very minor injury and all she had to do was ice it and wear a bandage for a few short weeks.

They hadn't spoken a single word since they left the precinct and the silence was driving her crazy. She already had enough problems and the last thing she needed was for one of her closest friends to be mad at her, too.

"It's okay, Liv. We've all noticed that something has been off about you today, I shouldn't have pushed you".

Olivia offered him a small smile when he opened the passenger door of the sudan for her.

"It's alright. I should have listened when you said that I needed to get this looked at".

"Is badass Olivia Benson admitting that she was wrong? I better write down the date" He teased, making her feel at ease.

"Yeah well, don't get too used to it" She teased, happy to be able to joke around for a few minutes.

Elliot could feel every single pair of eyes on him as he made his way to Cragen's office. He didn't know if it was because of his presence, or the fact that he was carrying a baby girl on his hip. He ignored the extra attention, keeping his eyes locked on Cragen's door. He couldn't let himself look over to where their desks used to be, or where the bullpen was. Too many memories were tied to this one room, and it was almost too much for him to take. He knocked twice before being greeted by his former boss.

"Elliot, take a seat. The detectives working your case will be with us shortly".

Elliot knew that if the baby had been left at anyone else's door, the case would not be in the Special Victims Unit's hands. Since he was a former member of the squad, the commissioner thought it was better to give it to them. Elliot wasn't complaining. He wanted to see Olivia. He needed to talk to her, to explain what happened that night.

 __" _That" Night_

 _Elliot knocked on her door softly, just in case she had fallen asleep on her couch. He had promised himself that he wouldn't wake her if she had managed to fall asleep._

" _El" She said, surprised to see him at such a late hour. It was very evident that she hadn't been able to sleep either. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and the remains of her makeup was smeared under her eyes. She was wearing an old pair of his sweat pants that he let her borrow along with a baggy t-shirt. She stepped to the side and let him in._

 _They both sat on her couch, each taking one end. She waited for him to speak, but it never happened._

" _Elliot, why did you come here?" She finally asked._

" _I don't know" He answered honestly. He didn't know anything anymore._

 __" _You had to do it, El. It was a good shoot"._

 _He shook his head. "It's never a good shoot when a fifteen year old girl dies"._

 _Olivia knew that the shooting was tearing him apart. He had left the station right after the medics came in and pronounced her dead. She had called him several times, but he had ignored every single one. It was one in the morning and here he was sitting on her couch, instead of being home with his wife._

" _Have you talked to Kathy?" She asked._

 _He shot her a look, they both knew that he could not talk to Kathy about this. She wouldn't get it._

" _El, what can I do to help you? I hate seeing you like this"._

 _He didn't say a word. Instead, he cupped her face and brought her lips to his, kissing her with everything he had. At first, she was tense and didn't kiss him back, but after a few seconds she relaxed and returned it with equal passion. It had been a shitty, emotional day for both of them and they needed this._

 _He wordlessly picked her up and carried her down the hall and into the bedroom, where they'd forget all about it._

Nick Amaro was doing his very best to interview Elliot Stabler, but it was evident that he was very distracted. He was a million miles away and Nick couldn't reign him back in long enough to ask him more than one or two questions. He was thankful that he only had one last question to go.

"Mr. Stabler, is there any chance that this baby is your biological child?"

 **AN: I think this is a good place to stop for now. The title will come into play more for the next chapter. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Oh, and happy holidays!**


	3. Chapter 3

**An: Hey y'all! I updated this as soon as I could. This chapter was a little tricky to write, but the next one will be smooth sailing. This chapter is a little more emotional than I originally planned, but I like the interaction between Cragen and Olivia. Let me know what you think! Love y'all!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters.**

"Liv, what are you still doing here?" Cragen asked as he entered the squad room. It was five in the morning, and Olivia was sitting at her desk wearing the same outfit that she wore the previous day. Her hair was pulled up in a short, messy pony tail, and it looked like she had wiped off any makeup long before he got there. He noticed four empty paper cups on her desk and a candy wrapper.

"How much coffee have you had?" He questioned as he sat at Amaro's desk.

She didn't look up from whatever she was doing to answer him. "I lost count after five".

Cragen stood and placed his hand on her shoulder, finally earning her full attention. "Liv, pulling all-nighters like that isn't going to fix the problem".

She nodded in agreement. "I know, we have absolutely nothing and Elliot has been no help at all. I just-"

"That's not what I meant and you know it". He watched her face fall and he knew that she wanted to talk about it, but she wouldn't open up to him. "Olivia, I'm here if you want to talk...As a friend. You can't keep doing this to yourself".

"I'm tempted...but I think it would be a little weird for both of us"She warned, waiting for him to take his offer back.

"Look, you know that you're like a daughter to me, so I'm here for you, even if I get a little grossed out".

Olivia chuckled and nodded. "Could we take this into your office? I don't need anyone that's coming in to hear this".

Cragen lead her to his office and sat down in one of the extra chairs in the room. letting her sit behind the desk.

"I'm listening" He promised.

She contemplated where to start, deciding that it was best to just get the awkward part out of the way.

"After the shooting, Elliot wound up at my apartment. We were talking and one thing lead to another and,,,"

"You slept together?" Cragen asked, a little surprised that after years of being so close, that was the event that finally got them there.

"Yes" She blushed. "Oh God, I don't think I can keep talking to you about this" She admitted. Agreeing to talk to someone about personal problems was a horrible idea when she hadn't slept at all.

"As long as you spare me the details of the sex, I don't really care what you say".

"He said he loved me" She blabbed. She wasn't sure if she was going to tell him that detail, but that choice was gone.

"I'm so surprised" She heard her captain sarcastically mumble.

"He said it when he thought I was asleep. I guess he didn't want me to hear it because when I woke up, he was gone".

Cragen didn't know what to say.

"I called him that evening and he didn't answer, so I gave it a few days and tried again, no answer. I called him every few days for almost two months, and he never answered. I was worried about my best friend, and apparently all he was worried about was getting one night out of me before he ditched me for life". She felt tears on the verge of spilling, but she refused to let them.

"Liv, I'm sure that wasn't his plan. He said he loved you" Cragen reassured.

"Then he left! He left me. He wouldn't even pick up the phone to tell me that he was alive. We could have gotten past a one night stand because I just wanted my best friend back! I was so worried and he didn't even have the decency to call the woman he claims to love". The tears were streaming down her face, showing exactly how tired she was both physically and emotionally. Cragen quickly stood and wrapped his arms around Olivia. He had never seen her look so defeated. He was beyond pissed at Elliot, but at the same time, he knew more than Olivia did. Elliot had called him months ago, asking if they could speak, man to man. That didn't make this current situation any easier though.

"Can-can someone else take his case?" She pleaded through her tears, making it almost impossible for him to say no. Almost.

"Liv, I know that you're going to hate me for this, but I want you to stay on it. Just find one of the parents and then we can kick the case to a different precinct". He heard her sigh. "Why don't you go up to the cribs for a while and try to get a few hours? I think your sleep deprivation has a lot to do with the tears".

Olivia nodded and quickly left the office, not feeling any better than before. She jogged to the cribs and sat down on one of the beds. Her head was pounding and she was exhausted.

"No more unnecessary all nighters" She told herself.

She took her shoes off and laid down, desperate to get some rest. Her eyes closed and she could feel her body start to relax.

"God fucking damn it!" She yelled when her phone rang. "Benson" She snapped, not caring who was on the other end.

"I guess you're not a morning person" Melinda teased. "I have the results back from the paternity test Amaro sent in".

"Then why didn't you call Amaro?"

"We both know why...The test was positive, Liv. Elliot is the father".

Olivia felt her heart stop and beat faster all at the same time.

"He's dead" She growled before hanging up. She jumped out of bed and slipped her shoes on, heading back to the squadroom. She grabbed her purse out of her desk and was on her way.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Liv" Elliot greeted, genuinely surprised to see her. He stepped to the side to let her in, but she hesitated. After a moment she walked, but awkwardly stood in the middle of the room.

"What's up?" He asked as he sat down on the couch. She took a moment to take in his appearance. He was wearing pajama pants and a tank top, exposing his muscles. Normally, she'd scold herself for checking him out, but this would be her last opportunity to do so.

"I just came by to tell you that the baby is yours. I know that they took her last night, so I will contact them and tell them what's going on so you can discuss your options. Since my job is done, this is goodbye".

She turned to leave, but his hand on her arm stopped her.

"Wait, I'm the father?" He questioned. Olivia nodded and tried to move, but his grip on her arm was too strong.

"I have no clue who the mother is or how she got here though".

Olivia felt like she had been slapped in the face. "You have _no clue_ who the mother is? You've slept with so many women lately that you can't keep track? Wow, Elliot".

Olivia ripped her arm out of his grasp and headed for the door.

"Liv, that's not what I meant".

She turned to look at him, but all he could see was the anger in her eyes.

"It's Olivia, and what the hell did that mean then?"

"I've only slept with one woman within the last year, but I don't remember her name".

"But I'm sure you told her that you loved her, too" She shot back.

Elliot was speechless. _That's_ why she was so pissed at him.

"You heard that?" He asked.

She nodded. "Unfortunately, I believed you. Now I know, that I was just another fuck".

Olivia stormed out of his apartment and slammed the door shut, leaving him dumbstruck in his living room.

"This can't be goodbye" Elliot said, hating that he hadn't said it before she left. "I do love you".

 **An: Feedback is greatly appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**An: Hey all! I know this is a short chapter, but college has been keeping me busy. Things are picking up! Thank you for all the feedback so far, and thank you in advance if you leave a little something for this chapter. Love y'all!**

 **Disclaimer: If only…**

"I'm sorry, sir. there's nothing we can do until the morning. I can give you some contact information if you-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know who to talk to. Thanks". Elliot wished that he still had his badge. Although he hated cops that would use it to get perks, he wouldn't mind whipping it out if it meant taking his daughter home. Nothing was going right. It was almost as if someone was out to get him. He needed to talk to someone, but his options were limited. He longed for the days when Olivia was only a phone call away. She was his best friend. She understood him better than he ever could. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed that she was his only friend all those years. Yet another things he managed to fuck up… He grabbed his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed the first number he thought of.

"Hey Don, it's Elliot. You hungry?"

*At the diner*

Donald Cragen sat at a booth waiting for his former detective. Elliot had always been like a son to the captain, and he was worried about him. They had met up to talk once before, but that was without Olivia thrown into the mix. Cragen nervously looked down at his watch, hoping that Elliot would get there soon, or his whole plan would be ruined.

"Hey, sorry, Don. I guess it took a little longer to walk here than I thought it would". The older man offered him a smile.

"It's alright, I've only been here for a few minutes". Being a seasoned detective, Elliot immediately noticed that something was off.

"Are you alright?" Elliot asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Of course, I just-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Elliot turned in his seat, seeing Olivia. She was glaring at him. No, she was looking over him. Why was she mad at Don?

"Liv, let me explain" Their Captain, well, her captain started. She just shook her head and turned to leave. He couldn't just sit and watch her walk away, again.

"Oliva" He called after her. Everyone in the small restaurant was looking at him, but most importantly, Olivia turned to face him. "Please stay, I know I don't deserve it, but please? It's just dinner with Don and I". He could practically see the gears turning in her head. "I swear I didn't know about this either. We were set up". He heard her huff. Olivia blew right by him, which he took as a good sign. She hadn't left, but she didn't look happy about her choice to stay. Cragen moved over, wisely choosing to let her sit next to him.

"I'm only here because I'm hungry" She clarified, even though neither man questioned her motives. The ringing of a cell phone caused all three of them to reach for their respective phones out of habit. Don answered his phone, He quickly hung up and sighed. "I'm sorry, I have to go. Fin and Amanda need me". Olivia scooted out of the booth, watching in disdain as their neutral man left. Elliot fully expected Olivia to bail, because that's what he deserved. However, she stayed put. The waitress came to take their orders, quickly noticing the tension between the two. She got their orders and got out, noting to only check on them once in awhile.

"Do you ever feel like the universe is punishing you?" Olivia asked out of nowhere. Elliot only nodded, scared to tell her that he had the same thought only an hour earlier. "I'm still trying to figure out what I did to deserve this". She looked up at him. waiting for an answer.

"Olivia, I promise you that none of this is your fault. It's all mine. You didn't do anything to deserve this. I didn't think that you'd hear me".

"Why'd you say it then? If you didn't want me to hear it and didn't mean it, why the hell would you even say it? I could have accepted that I was just a quick fuck, El. I would have prefered that over losing my best friend".

Despite his better judgement, he reached out and grabbed her good hand, interlacing their fingers. "Stop that. You weren't just a quick fuck, Liv. I said it because I meant it. I said it because I knew that would be my only chance to tell you, and I wasn't scared to because I thought you were asleep".

"I um...I have to go" She forced out, obviously taken aback by his words. She pulled her hand away and got up, leaving him stunned at the booth. He quickly threw more than enough cash down on the table and followed her out. He spotted her jogging down the street. She was literally running from him now. He sighed and started jogging after her, shortly closing the distance between them.

"Liv" He sighed when she finally stopped. He kept a couple feet between them, refusing to scare her off again. Despite the empty sidewalks, he felt as though they were being watched. The feeling was brushed to the side when he saw her turn around, tears streaming down her face.

"Elliot, please go away! Leave me alone! I can't do this". She begged. A loud bang filled his ears, and the next thing he knew she was on the ground.

"Liv!" He ran over to her and searched for the injury. She had been shot in the right shoulder. "El" She groaned, pain and white hot burning taking over her body.

"It'll be okay, baby. Just stay with me" He reached down to grab his phone, quickly calling for help. His other hand applied pressure to the wound, trying to slow down the bleeding.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I'm ashamed. I haven't updated this in so long and this chapter is so short. I know there will be more. Love y'all!**

"You'll be okay, Liv. I promise you that you'll be okay" He whispered as the ambulance pulled up.

"Hurts" She choked out. He could tell that he was losing her.

"You have to hold on baby. I love you so much. You have to know that, Liv. I may have fucked up, but I love you so much". Tears streamed down his face now, but he didn't care.

"Sir, what happened?" The paramedic asked, pushing him out of the way.

"I don't know. She was running and stopped and then-"

He hadn't even thought about looking around to find the shooter. He had been so worried about her that he forgot his years of experience on the job. The next thing he knew, they were in the back of an ambulance. Two different men were moving about the small space and Elliot watched their every move, but didn't know what was going on.

"She's crashing!" One of them yelled, pulling Elliot out of his daze.

000000000000000000000000000000

"How is she?" Cragen asked as he handed Elliot a coffee.

"I haven't heard anything since they took her back for surgery. I almost lost her in the ambulance".

"She's a fighter, Elliot. She'll be okay".

Elliot looked over at his former boss. How could he be so calm? They almost lost her. Fuck, they could still lose her. It had been almost four hours and he hadn't heard a single fucking word from anyone. What if she died? How could he handle that? Selfishly, he needed her. He needed her to be okay. He needed to know that there would be a second chance, that he could fix things between them. If anything, he wished that he had been shot, not her. She could go on with her life and find the happiness she deserved.

"Family of Olivia Benson. Elliot Stabler?" A nurse called, bringing both men to their feet.

"I'm Elliot Stabler. How is she? Is she out of surgery?"

"She is out of surgery. She'll be moved into her room shortly, but um...she started yelling for you as soon as she woke up".

Elliot nodded, hating that he couldn't be with her yet.

" fell back asleep, but you'll be able to see her soon. The doctor can tell you more then".

They returned to their seats, feeling a little bit better. She was alive. Maybe not totally awake, but alive.

"Elliot, will you be alright if I head out? I want to get the squad on this right away. I'm going to send Amaro to take both of your statements some time tonight".

"Yeah, I'll be good. I'll update you as soon as I see her".

"El? Elliot? Elliot!" Olivia called as she came to once again. She was alone in a strange place and the last thing she remembered was Elliot's arms around her. Was he okay? Was _she_ okay? Her head hurt, and so did her side. She needed answers.

"Elliot!" She yelled again. He couldn't have left her again…

"Ms. Benson, I'm so glad you're awake. How are you feeling?" A cheerful nurse as she checked her vitals.

"I want Elliot".

Olivia reached out, trying to remove the I.V. and heart rate monitor. If they couldn't bring Elliot to her, she'd go and get him herself.

"No,no,no. Don't do that. I'll go get him".

"Thank you" Olivia sighed as she slumped into the bed once again. Part of her felt a little loopy while the other wanted to cry for hours.

"Liv".

"Elliot".

She reached out for him, letting the tears run down her cheeks. Her long hair was covering her face and she wanted to move it out of the way but it hurt to lift her right arm too much. Elliot turned to the nurse without letting go of Olivia's left hand.

"You wouldn't have a spare hair tie, would you?"

"Actually, I do. Here you go". She slipped it off her wrist and handed it to Elliot before leaving the room.

"Let me get that out of your way sweetie".

He carefully gathered her hair into a pony tail off to the side, fastening it with the hair tie.

"Thank you...Can I have some water?"

He held the foam cup up to her, letting her get the straw. She took a long drink, trying to regain a normal moisture level in her mouth.

"Better?"

"I am now".

"I'm so sorry, Liv" He started.

"It's not your fault some bastard-"

"Maybe not, but I have more to be sorry for".

"Can this wait until I'm not in so much pain?"

Elliot looked over at her, finally realizing that her face was scrunched up in discomfort. She was grasping her side and taking deep breaths. He reached out for her hand again, letting her squeeze it until the pain subsided.

"I don't know how you did this so many times" She confessed.

"Well it wasn't really a choice" He said with a chuckle. "But I knew that I had to get through it so I could have your back".

Just then, another nurse came in with a new bag for the IV. More pain medication. Olivia would be feeling better in no time.

"Do you think Cragen will let me help with the investigation?" She asked Elliot as the nurse busied herself with her task. It seemed like they were giving her too much medication within a short amount of time, but she wasn't going to question them. The pain was too much for her at the moment. The nurse asked her if they needed anything else and told them that the doctor would be in to see her shortly.

A silence settled between them. Olivia could feel the effects of the pain medicine once again, and it was good stuff. She thought about the last time she felt this good. The night that she slept with Elliot. That was the last time she felt this good. He had made her reach new levels of pleasure and she slept with the biggest smile on her face that night. A giggle escaped her, which amused Elliot.

"What are you thinking about over there, Benson?"

"How amazing you are in bed". Her words were slurred and mumbled, but he knew exactly what she said.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! I hope we can do that again".

He knew that she was drugged and he couldn't take anything she was saying seriously, but she was so damn cute. This was a side of Olivia that he hadn't seen much of, and there was a huge chance that he'd never see it again. Of course he wasn't thrilled that an IV of pain meds was what was making her giggly, but at least she was safe now.

"Me too".

"Then it's a date! You're gonna take me home and we're gonna have suuuuuper hot sex!"

"Well that won't be happening tonight" The doctor chimed in from the doorway. Elliot wanted to smack that knowing smile right off of his face.

" , I'm sure you're feeling good".

"Uh huh. Never better". Her eyes started to close, succumbing to her need to sleep.

"Sorry about that Doc, I had no clue she'd be so goofy".

The younger gentleman simply waved him off. "I see it all the time. will be alright. We had to remove the bullet,but thankfully it didn't hit any organs. She'll be in some pain for the next few days, but it could be worse. If all goes well I think she can go home tomorrow evening and prescribe her some pain medication. I'm assuming you'll be with her?"

"Absolutely".

He didn't need to think about his answer. He would be there for her, no matter what. Life would be hell the next several weeks, or maybe even months as he tried to get his daughter, work things out with Olivia, and manage to keep her from investigating her own case.


End file.
